


The Holiday Party

by Ladyluckk



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Draco Malfoy is a Tease, F/M, Fluff, One Shot, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-05-14 08:07:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19269166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladyluckk/pseuds/Ladyluckk
Summary: Hermione hadn't planned on going to the ministry's annual holiday party at all this year; let alone with her co-worker, Draco Malfoy, as her date. However, she would be lying if she said she wasn't having a grand time.





	The Holiday Party

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Harry Potter.  
> A/N: Maria Durch Ein' Dornwald Geht by the London Symphony Orchestra is the song that inspired the dance scene.  
> Originally posted on my FF account.

Hermione sits behind her desk looking at the abundant piles of papers stacked in front of her. The bountiful supply is stacked high and thrown around in a messy fashion, it makes her fingers itch to try and organize it all. She has been working for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for a few years now and every holiday the workload seems to double like clockwork.

To top it all off, she is having a rather stressful day as the Ministry is full of people trying to hurry and finish up any activities or projects they have before the work party tonight.

She finds it to be rather annoying as people become careless with their work; just trying to wrap it up as quickly as possible so they can go home early.

While she would certainly like to be done with her tasks and cop out earlier than normal, she isn't the type to let it affect her work. Especially for a silly holiday party that she is most likely not going to attend.

Harry had asked her if she was going to attend a week ago, but she left it up in the air saying she wasn't sure. It's not that she doesn't like to hang out with her co-workers, she just isn't sure if she wants to get all dressed up for an event that people get completely pissed at and act like teens who have just gotten their first taste of freedom.

Hermione lets out an exasperated sigh as the fifth paper she's come across today isn't signed properly and will need to be handed back before she can approve it.

Her eyebrows scrunch together in confusion as her eyes land on the name Draco Malfoy at the top. She finds it rather odd as he usually is not one to let any mistakes slide. Well, none that she has noticed in the past two years he's been working in her department. He is normally the only person besides herself who takes great pride in their paperwork.

Hermione quickly stuffs the parchment back into the large file on her wooden desk before she decides to head over to Malfoys office to discuss it with him in person; finding it easier to get what she needs by taking direct action.

Thankfully, she doesn't have to walk too far from her own to reach his. But she finds it rather difficult as people rush past her, making her have to watch where she is going more intently so she doesn't run into anyone. Once she reaches his office, she only waits a split second after knocking to open his door. If he truly didn't want to be disturbed, he would have locked it as he had done in the past.

The silver-haired man doesn't look up from the documents on his desk as he continues to scribble notes on them. "I see you got my papers, Granger."

"Yes, that's actually why I am here," she says.

Draco looks over to the file in her hand before he gives her a nod. He waves a hand at her to come over.

She crosses the room, placing the documents he needs in his open hand. "You forgot to sign off on…" She trails off as she watches him go to the spot he missed. Odd. She doesn't remember putting the page he needed on top as she isn't normally the one to keep pages out of order.

"You can always count on Hermione Granger to catch even the smallest of oversights," he comments with a shake of the head. "Everyone else around here today wouldn't even notice if the building was on fire," he adds while handing her the file back before fully looking at her.

"Somebody has to otherwise we wouldn't have enough of-" she glances down to really look at what he had signed off on. "Beautification Potion?"

It's not exactly the type of potion the Ministry would need, well not to her knowledge anyway.

"It's for a mission," he explains nonchalantly as he leans back in his leather chair.

She huffs out a small laugh at the absurd reasoning behind anyone needing such a potion for a mission.

"You know, Malfoy, I wouldn't have put you as the type to use the Ministry's resources for personal affairs."

He laughs at that, his head tilting to the side. "Are you calling me ugly, Granger?"

Unable to figure out what to say to that, her mouth falls slightly agape before she promptly closes it shut.

Draco Malfoy is by no means ugly, he is quite good-looking in fact, but she isn't sure she wants to admit that to him. She settles for a quip instead. "I mean you're the one signing off on Beautification Potions..."

"They're not for me," he smirks. "It's not something I would need anyways."

He tosses a wink her way which causes her to have to restrain herself from rolling her eyes.

"While I appreciate the small chit-chat, I need to get back to filing these," she says while holding up the folder in her hand and giving the file a little shake.

"Before you go-" he pauses as he watches her hesitate by the door, waiting to continue his speech until she turns towards him. "Are you going to the Christmas party tonight?"

She tilts her head at him as she had not expected him to ask her of her business outside of work.

"Um, no," she answers eventually. "No, I don't think so."

"No?" He seems surprised as his one eyebrow raises at her. "You don't want to come because you don't like fun, or no because you don't have a date?"

Well, that is a rather obtuse assumption she thinks.

"No because I'd just rather be at home by the fire with a nice cup of tea," she says a little too defensively as she puts her free hand on her hip.

"Ah, so you don't have a date."

Hermione huffs out a breath at his words. Upset over the little truth behind them. "I didn't say that," she defends as she drops her hand in replacement for standing up straighter.

He shakes his head at her while shrugging a shoulder.

"No one wants to be at home alone during the holidays. Why not just come for a little bit?" he asks her.

She isn't sure why he's pressing the matter so hard, after all it's just a party. One she has been to many times before. "I don't see what all the fuss is about," she shrugs.

"There's going to be good booze this year."

"You're going to have to do better than that, Draco."

She normally doesn't call him by his first name. She usually sticks to his surname as it is more professional. However, they haven't been talking about work for a while now and Malfoy feels too formal for the turn their conversation takes.

"It's entertaining to watch your co-workers make asses of themselves on the dance floor, the prizes they raffle away aren't half-bad, and of course the best part: free booze."

"You've mentioned that part already."

"Like I said it's good," he smiles widely, his hands spreading out like it's an obvious enough reason to go.

She laughs at his exultant display. "Alright it does sound like it could be enjoyable if the booze this year really is as good as you claim it is."

"So, I'll see you there?"

"I dunno, I'm not sure-"

"C'mon Hermione, live a little. If you want, I'll be your date."

She blinks in surprise. Did Draco Malfoy just ask her to be his date? Well, more like he asked her to allow him to be her date. Either way you spin it her head doesn't fully register the idea of it.

Her and Draco have worked together for years now; even before he ended up in the same department. They seem to get along fine enough, while they do have their differences. But they've never really hung out outside of work before, making the proposal quite odd in retrospect.

"If you don't want-" he starts after the long pause of silence.

"No, No- I'll go with you!" she rushes out before she can stop herself.

She's taken aback by her own eagerness to reassess the situation. Especially considering she hadn't planned on going to the work party at all, let alone with Draco Malfoy.

"I just wasn't sure if you wanted to go with someone..." She struggles to explain her lack of silence. "With someone like me," she finishes, lamely.

She isn't exactly sure what she means by that and is sure Draco is just as perplexed as she is with the way his eyebrow arches at her in curiosity.

"Someone like you?" he questions as his head tilts slightly. He looks more amused than offended at her judgement.

"Oh, you know-" She fiddles with the edge of one of the papers that is sticking out at the end of her file. "Someone who doesn't really seem to be your type…" she shrugs her shoulders while waving her free hand in the air trying to play it cool. She feels silly about it now as he just seems to become more amused by her feigned aloofness.

He doesn't answer right away, his mouth curling upwards at the corners. She thinks like he likes to watch her sweat before he huffs out a small laugh.

"Actually, smart and beautiful is exactly my type, Granger."

"Oh," she blushes; stunned at his words. She's sure her wide eyes give way to her surprise at his bluntness; though she still tries to hide it by clearing her throat, looking down at the files in her hand to distract herself from his gaze.

Hermione isn't sure how to respond to that. His words catch her off guard as she never thought that Draco Malfoy of all people would be flirting with her.

Well, there was the one time his eyes lingered a little longer than necessary during a disagreement they had in his office a few weeks ago. They had been fighting over the funding on a project when she had torn off her tie to undo the top button of her shirt. The heat was insufferable that day and she couldn't stand it any longer. The flash in his eyes made her flush from more than just the hot air around them before he went right back to arguing with her. Later that same night she had dreamed about that look in his eyes and what would have happened if they lingered any longer.

"How does eight o'clock sound?" he asks, pulling her from her thoughts.

Hermione clears her throat again as she avoids his eye. This time a small blush forms as she pushes the dirtier thoughts from her mind. "Oh, um, eight sounds perfect…"

"Then I'll see you at eight."

She nods her head, still not fully looking at him before she practically runs out the door in a panic. Unfortunately for her, her quick departure causes her to bump straight into Neville in the otherwise empty hallway.

"Sorry Hermione; didn't see you there," he immediately apologizes, his hand coming out to steady her.

She waves away his apology. "It's quite alright, Neville."

They both give each other small apologetic smiles before giving a nod in goodbye to head their separate ways. Hermione is about to turn the corner to her office when Neville calls her name down the hall. It causes her to stop in her tracks once again.

"Are you coming to the Christmas party tonight?" he asks..

"I am now, apparently."

He smiles warmly at her. "Oh, that's great to hear; I wasn't sure you'd want to come after you and Ron…"

He trails off, not sure how to approach the subject.

Hermione and Ron were supposed to go to the party together as they have had the previous years, but after their breakup a few months ago she wasn't sure she was going to feel up to seeing all the happy couples together. But now she isn't going alone.

"Well, I'll be glad to see you there," Neville says before turning back, disappearing down the hall.

Hermione turns to head back to her office almost bumping into another as the hallway begins to fill with more people. It's not until she makes it back to her own office and closes the door softly behind her that she lets it sink it.

Draco is going to the party with her, and not just as a friend, but as her date.

She is not sure what to make of the warmth that fills her chest or of the butterflies that settle in her stomach.

\---

The antique clock in the corner of Hermione's room ticks softly as she stands in her undergarments in front of her full-length mirror. She lifts the material in her hand up to herself, trying to picture what the dress would look like on.

"What do you think, Jaz?" she asks, turning around to her new cat, Jasper, who sits happily on her large bed.

Jasper's purring becomes a little louder in response to the attention Hermione gives him.

"I like it too."

Hermione tosses the towel around her freshly washed hair into the hamper by the door before she shimmies her way into the dress. After she finishes putting the cocktail dress on, she tries to figure out what to do with her wet hair. She decides to use her wand to dry the rest of it before she clips it up letting a few pieces dangle out on the sides. She puts on a bit of light makeup, some perfume, and her heels before she's ready to go.

She checks her clock and sees it's five minutes to eight, giving her just enough time to grab the necklace her mother had given her on her latest birthday. It is a small tear drop diamond on a thin chain that lays just below the collarbone. It's not extremely extravagant, but it makes Hermione smile to herself as she puts it on.

Jasper jumps down from the bed, darting out towards the entrance when someone knocks at her door. She hastily runs her hands down her dress to smooth out any lines and fixes the curl that escapes one of the pins.

She struggles to quickly put on her matching earrings as she hurries over to the front of her apartment. She does not want to keep her date waiting any longer than she has to.

"Switching to the superior house now are we, or did you wear that for me?" Draco asks when she opens the door, the corner of his mouth turning upwards as his eyes travel down the length of her body.

Hermione looks down at herself as she had forgotten that she chose a deep green dress to wear tonight. She hadn't thought about the color at the time, too focused on trying to find something that fit the holiday theme but still classy. Maybe she should have gone with the red dress she had been debating wearing instead. That way they would have both been sporting their house colors for he had a dark green tie to go with his classic black suit.

"It's all I had," she lies.

"Right," he agrees, though his smirk says otherwise. "It's a good color, really. It suits you."

She thanks him while trying to keep her cheeks from burning bright red.

\---

It's not long before they arrive at the garden where the party is being held this year. The two of them stopping just outside the ironclad gates.

Draco offers Hermione his arm, which she takes in silence before they enter.

The gates open up to a long corridor, the archways wrapped in red ribboned garland and twinkle lights. They make small-talk while they walk down the pebble stone path into the balcony area above the party.

Hermione's eyes light up as she takes in the sight around her. The garden is vast and wide; filled with beautifully carved stone statues that move along with the music. The impeccably shaped shrubbery is adorned with delicate, white roses and lights that make the garden glow in the otherwise dark night.

She lets go of Draco's arm to lean forward on the iron railing.

Her smile grows wide when she looks up to see the snow that trickles down softly on the crowd down below, watching as it swirls around catching the light. It is not cold to the touch, nor does it hit the ground for it disappears as soon as it makes contact with anything.

She thinks she will never get over how amazing magic can be sometimes.

She finally turns her head towards him, the smile still on her face. "I'm glad you forced me to come."

He gives her a perplexed look. "Forced?"

"Bit harsh? How about heavily persuaded?" she compromises, laughing slightly at the look that flickers across his face.

"Yes, well, you can be stubborn sometimes."

"Stubborn?"

"Okay, all the time."

She hits him lightly on the arm to which he only laughs at.

"Is that Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy I see hanging out together?" a familiar Irish accent says. "Is the world about to end?"

Both of them turn around to see Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas make their way over to them.

"I didn't realize you worked for the Ministry, Seamus," Hermione says before Draco can make a snide comment.

The holiday party is only for those who worked at the Ministry of Magic, with the exception of dates and she couldn't figure out which department he worked at. She figured she would have at least known when an old friend of hers was working at the same place, but then again, the Ministry had dozens of other departments that can be hard to keep track of.

"I don't, but my boyfriend does," he answers back, pointing a finger towards Dean.

"Oh."

That's all Hermione is able to say as she did not know they were together. She always had a feeling that there might have been something going on between the two of them back in Hogwarts, but she never knew they were actually seeing each other considering they did not hang out as much since school.

"I'm happy for you two," she finally says, smiling at the two of them as Draco remains silent.

"Thanks, Hermione," Dean smiles back. "I think we'll leave you two alone before this one says something else he'll regret."

"Oi, I'm standing right here!" Seamus pipes.

Dean only chuckles at him as he pulls his boyfriend away and down the stairs to the rest of the party, leaving Hermione and Draco alone once again.

"I wonder how long those two have been going out," Hermione admits; thinking mainly to herself for she didn't expect Draco to engage, but she is pleasantly surprised when he does.

"A few months at the very least."

"How do you figure?"

"I saw them together once when I was out shopping in Diagon Alley, a couple of months back," Draco states. "I was trying to buy some books and they were snogging in the back of the store… It was disturbing to say the least."

Hermione frowns at him. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad. They're cute together."

He gives her a look, "That-" he points down to where the former couple had moved to, "is not cute."

She looks to where his finger is pointing to discover Seamus rather affectionately eating Deans face off.

"That's…"

"Disturbing?"

"I would have gone with discomforting," she replies before laughing at the scene displayed before her. "Wow, they're really going at it."

"It's not something I'd prefer to watch, Granger," he says lightheartedly.

She tears her eyes away, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, it's kind of hard not to stare."

"How do you think I felt when I had to ask them to move so I could get the book I needed," Draco laughs. "I almost left. I should have just gone back another day."

She pictures Draco in the store, minding his own business until he stumbles upon the couple. Awkwardly standing next to them as he tries to decide if he wants to leave or ask them to move out of his way. The whole ordeal makes her laugh.

The two of them continue to talk for a little while, liking the view of the party from up top near the entrance. They don't move until Draco offers his arm once again to Hermione who gladly takes it.

"C'mon. Let's get something to drink," he says.

"It's about time. I was promised good alcohol," she teases him as he leads them downstairs.

\---

Draco is right about the alcohol and after a couple glasses of wine Hermione is having a grand time.

They schmooze their way around their co-workers, stopping by to have a small chit-chat with those who come by. The dinner is fantastic as they do not hold back on the catering service and the company is nice. Though they sit with more of Draco's friends, they are friendly enough with Hermione.

"I'm not saying I disapprove; I'm just saying I wasn't prepared for you to ask Hermione Granger of all people to the party," Pansy says in defense of her earlier comment that earned her a scowl from Draco.

Pansy had come to the function without a date; claiming no one who worked in the sports department of the ministry was worth asking.

"Is it because you were desperately wanting Draco to ask you instead?" Blaise accuses, looking rather bored besides the small smirk threatening to show.

A shade of pink filters Pansy's face before she throws her bread roll at Blaise making the table erupt with laughter.

"I wasn't expecting it either, if that's any consolation," Hermione offers, feeling a bit embarrassed for the girl even if she was rude to her back in school.

Blaise's ears seem to perk up at that as he sits up in his chair, his mouth opening as he is going to say something when Draco cuts him off.

"It's almost time for the raffle, so I think we should use our tickets before we forget," Draco says.

Hermione watches as the two boys exchange a look. She doesn't know what it means and has no time to ask as Draco gets up to leave; taking Hermione away with him.

\---

They announce the winners of the raffle prizes around thirty minutes past nine. Everyone who attended gathers around the main host, the minister of magic himself, as he presents the gifts to the lucky winners up on the makeshift stage.

"I don't see how that is a fulfilling prize," Draco comments as he eyes the caged toad that Neville had just won.

She just hums in reply as she isn't sure why Neville would want another one as he lost his first toad, Trevor, on multiple occasions. She just hopes he'll be more responsible this time around.

"What did you use your tickets on?" Draco asks.

She had decided to try her luck by spreading her tickets out, placing at least one in all the raffle choices, but she had spent most of them on one box.

"The first edition book collection of-" she stops mid-sentence to hit him lightly on the arm when he rolls his eyes at her.

"Predictable," he chuckles.

"Oh? And what did you spend yours on?"

"The quidditch cup game tickets, of course."

"And you call me predictable."

Draco's only reply is a small smile before he takes a sip out of the drink in his hand.

They remain silent, only making a small amount of commentary here and there as the rest of the prizes are handed out. Hermione is a little upset that she does not win the prize she truly wants, but she is pleased to at least win a bottle of the finest firewhiskey instead.

\---

They are alone in the back at a discarded table discussing potion brewings. It is around ten o'clock when Hermione and Draco's conversation, more like a small argument, gets interrupted.

"No, that's not how it went at all!" Hermione proclaims, her hands going up in exasperation.

"Well, I'm not the one who turned myself into a cat!" Draco says in defense. He crosses his arms as he gives her a challenging look.

She purses her lips as he is right on that aspect, but he doesn't know the entire story yet.

"You weren't there, Draco," she drags out his name as she raises her eyebrow to challenge him back. "You couldn't possibly know-"

"I know enough to know that you shouldn't have been trying to brew something as difficult as polyjuice potion in only our second year, Hermione."

She doesn't have time to reflect on him calling her by her first name when someone else is already pulling her attention away.

"He's got a fair point there," Ginny interjects as she and Harry come up to their table, catching the last bit of their conversation.

Draco smirks while spreading his hands out as if he won the conversation due to Ginny's agreement.

Hermione shakes her head but decides to let it go when Harry and Ginny sit down to converse for a little while.

It is a little awkward at first as for Harry and Ginny did not talk to Draco too much outside of work, but Hermione is pleasantly surprised by the ease of conversation after the awkward small talk passes. They all seem to rather enjoy themselves the later it gets and the more drinks they share.

\---

Eleven thirty rolls around rather quickly. Harry and Ginny go off to mingle with their other co-workers leaving the two of them alone once again.

Hermione has a drink at her lips when Draco offers her his hand to dance. She isn't sure if she has had enough in her yet to willingly dance in public, so she politely declines his offer, claiming to have two left feet.

"I know for a fact that you're lying. I saw you dancing at the Yule Ball, Granger," Draco reminds her.

She is unsure of what to say back, having no real reason to refuse, so she doesn't. She finishes her drink before finally accepting his proposal by sliding her hand into his and letting him lead them away.

"I thought you said people made fools of themselves on the dance floor," she reminds him of their conversation earlier that day.

The small orchestra on stage begins to play a beautiful cover of a Christmas classic. The notes filling around them as Draco guides her towards the marble floor.

"You're an exception," is all he says, making her ponder what he means, but is distracted easily by the warm hand he places on her back.

He turns her towards him, pulling her in closely and she can smell the faint spice of his cologne. Her hand comes up to lightly grab his shoulder while she feels the warmth of his slide down to her lower back, his other hand gently holding onto hers. Their bodies are close enough together that she can feel the heat of him seeping into her as he leads them across the marble floor, moving along with the music.

She is thankful for an actual dance floor as the rest of the garden is filled with grass and gravel pathways making it a little hard for her to walk across throughout the night. However, this allows her to move more gracefully with Draco; meeting him stride for stride as he whisks her around as the music picks up.

The others dancing around them seem to disappear as he sweeps her across the floor. Neither one takes notice of the many eyes that watch them out of curiosity.

Her dress twirls around her as he spins her out before he pulls her back in, laughter bubbling out of her as he spins her yet again.

Whether her head is spinning from all the drinks she had consumed or from the feeling she gets when he laughs carelessly with her, she can't tell.

The song starts to slow, becoming more of a downtempo causing Draco to pull her in more closely to bring them to a steadier pace as they sway along to the music. Her hand slides down from his shoulder blade to the front of his chest feeling the thud of his heart beneath her palm.

They continue to move together for some time, dancing together effortlessly like they have done this a thousand times before.

It's not much longer before the song begins to dwindle; bringing them close to the end. A small gasp escapes Hermione's lips when Draco dips her at the end of the finale note.

His breath is warm against her face while his grey eyes drop from hers down to her lips. She's certain that she feels his heart skip a beat under her hand.

\---

It isn't until around midnight that things got a little out of hand when they thought it would be a great idea to open the bottle of firewhiskey that Hermione had won earlier that evening and share it amongst the table that they are now occupying.

The shot stings the back of her throat, but she can't deny the wonderful feeling of the warmth that spreads throughout her entire chest.

Everyone around their table decides to try and get a taste of it, some even challenging others over who gets the next shot.

"I will give you my share-" Neville starts as he holds up his shot before pointing to his newly won toad. "If you lick my new friend here."

Seamus purses his lips while rubbing a hand under his chin, contemplating the offer.

"I'll do it."

"What, no!" Neville gasps in horror.

"You just said I could have it if I licked your toad!"

"I didn't actually think you'd actually say yes!"

"I'm not kissing you if you lick that toad," Dean interrupts, making a face of disgust.

"If that's the case then maybe you should let him," Ginny pipes in.

Everyone at the table, including Hermione, laughs at Seamus' outburst at Ginny's comment. It appears that everyone had to endure some part of the couple's shenanigans tonight.

Draco hides his chuckle of amusement behind the glass of whiskey at his lips.

\---

It's well past midnight by the time Hermione and Draco decide to call it a night.

Draco's hand is at the small of Hermione's back as they make their way up the staircase, her heels in her hand as she had taken them off a while ago.

The entrance is full of people as everyone else seems to have the same idea to depart. Only a few others are still down below enjoying the night for as long as they possibly can.

They end up stopping at the same ledge they had stopped at earlier, neither of them in a rush to leave. Hermione leans on the end of the garland wrapped rail, her eyes overlooking the garden for the final time before Draco comes to stand next to her.

"This was completely…" Hermione starts in awe, unable to describe the night.

Draco watches her take it all in. "Breathtaking?"

Her mouth turns upwards into a bright smile. "Breathtaking."

Hermione turns her head to see Draco staring at her, his body turned towards hers, his chest lightly brushing against her shoulder from the proximity. His intense gaze makes her cheeks burn as she cannot look away, her eyes staring right back into his.

Her breath catches in her throat when his hand comes up to push an escaped curl back behind her ear. His touch gentle as he slowly slides his finger down her jawline, resting it softly under her chin.

Their heads are much closer now so close that she can smell the whiskey on his breath as it tangles with hers. Her heart hammers against her rib cage as she is certain he is going to kiss her.

However, right before their lips can touch, he pulls away. "I should be getting you home."

She blinks in surprise, trying to ignore the knot in her stomach at his dismissal. She doesn't trust her voice right about now, so all she manages is a tight-lipped smile and a nod before following him out the door.

\---

They are quiet on the way back to her house. Neither one of them is sure what to say after their almost kiss. It confuses Hermione as she thinks about it. He had been the one to lean in initially but was also the one to pull away.

She tries to wrap her head around everything that happened tonight with Draco leading up to that moment to see if she had misread the situation. She is still slightly intoxicated so that did not help her in the matter of trying to see things clearly.

Hermione is so caught up in her head that she doesn't even notice until it's too late that he had traveled with her all the way back to her apartment.

She's unsure if she should invite him in or not, afraid that he'll reject her for the second time this evening but she's still a got a bit of courage in her, and by courage she means firewhisky. "Do you want to come in for a drink?" she asks.

He blinks at her, looking like he is caught off guard by her question.

Afraid he's going to say no she quickly adds, "It's just one drink, I promise I don't bite; unless you ask me too."

What?

She immediately regrets the last part, blaming it on the alcohol for her loose lips before she sees something flash in Draco's eyes, but It's gone before she can figure out what it was.

"Only if it's a cup of tea," Draco finally agrees to come in. "I don't think either of us need any more liquor tonight."

That is something she can agree with him on.

\---

It's only a few moments later that she's pulling the kettle off the stove, it is still whistling at her as she sets it down on a different burner. They had returned to their small-talk while she made the tea which she was thankful for. She thought it would be awkward after their moment on the steps but was surprised that it wasn't. The thought behind why he pulled away still on her mind.

He thanks her for the cup as she hands it to him before taking a seat opposite of him at her kitchen table.

Jasper lifts his head from Draco's lap as he smells the tea from his cup. Jasper had decided right away that he liked Draco. He had jumped up onto the table and kept nudging his head against Draco's shoulder before he finally gave in, turning in his seat to allow the feline to crawl into his lap earlier.

"Jasper?" Draco whispers as if testing the name.

Hermione gives a small hum of confusion behind the teacup at her lips.

"Why the name Jasper?" he clarifies, while holding the smaller cat up with one hand before setting him back down on his lap again.

"I didn't really name him. Well I sort of did but didn't."

Draco's only response is his eyebrow arched in confusion.

"His name was originally Jazz. I renamed him Jasper," Hermione admits.

"Whose decision was it to name him that?" Draco asks, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

"Ron named him."

"Ah, well, I always knew Weasley's made dumb decisions," Draco snickers.

"He may be my ex, but I still don't like anyone saying rude things about him," Hermione scolds.

"I don't see why you're defending him, considering you just pointed out another idiotic decision by him."

"What does that mean?"

"It means letting you go is the dumbest decision he'll ever make."

And Hermione thought that he couldn't make her any more confused tonight.

Hermione's eyes widen as her heart beat starts to pick up, but Draco's up and out of the chair before she can even contemplate his words fully.

Jasper hisses at the sudden movement and falls to the ground as Hermione hurries out of her chair to go after Draco, needing an explanation.

"Draco, wait!" Hermione urges, not exactly sure on what she plans on doing.

He is caught halfway between the kitchen and her living room when she grabs him by the wrist.

His body goes taunt at her touch, but he turns to face her. Her heart begins to speed up again as she's not even sure what to say as she tries to process his words, so she decides to let him have it as he has been giving her mixed signals all night.

"Let me get this straight… When I was in the office with you this morning you flirted with me and then asked me if you could be my date for tonight's party, even when you could've asked Pansy! Then when we got there we were having an amazing time, and you were very insistent on me dancing with you. And then when we were about to leave, and you made that comment about tonight and we almost kissed, but then you pulled away!" Hermione's voice becomes rather loud as she rambles on, "But then I invite you back into my apartment anyways and you don't say no, so we talk and then you say that leaving me is the dumbest decision someone could make! Yet it is a decision that you are doing right now, and I don't know what I'm supposed to believe! I'm not sure if you actually bloody like me or if you're just doing this to mess with my head!"

Hermione's face is flushed as she is heated and out of breath as she had practically screamed the last part.

Her eyes are wide and her heart beats rapidly inside her chest as she realizes how she just confessed all of her thoughts about tonight out loud.

"Are you quite finished?"

Hermione only manages a small nod in response, unable to form words.

"Good."

Then in one swift motion he pulls her arm, making her swing right into his body causing a small gasp to escape her. Then his lips come crashing down on hers. She's sure her heart is about to burst as she is still reeling from her long rant.

She can't believe that now is the time he chooses to kiss her.

He pulls back, letting his forehead rest on hers. His eyes are closed as he confesses to her, "I've wanted to do that all bloody night."

She tilts her head back to look at him properly, "Then why didn't you?"

"Because I didn't know if you really wanted me to, and I knew once I started, I wasn't going to be able to stop," he admits before opening his eyes to peer into hers.

Oh. Hermione thinks as her cheeks burn. His eyes are intense as he doesn't look away, making her realize that he is just as confused about her as she is of him.

"Then don't stop," Hermione reassures him before she's the one pulling him in for a kiss.

Her hand runs up his neck as she spreads her fingers into his soft hair, her other hand gripping at his shirt while he kisses her back.

He has one hand firmly on her shoulder, the other flat against her lower back. He tilts his head, sucking her bottom lip between his teeth before sliding his tongue along the bottom of it causing her to open her mouth. He takes full advantage of her open mouth, allowing him to slip his tongue inside.

She would be lying if she said she never thought about what it would be like to kiss him before this moment. However, her imagination pales in comparison to the reality of the softness of his lips but determined touch of his hands.

She pushes herself further into him, her body pressing up against the length of his, feeling the heat from him seep into her as if it were her own. The motion causes him to take a step back, his grip on her lower back becoming tight as he tries to keep them from toppling over.

Hermione pulls herself away, her breathing coming in heavy and fast; just like his.

"Bedroom," is all she manages to say to his arched brow before detaching herself from him to grab his hand to guide him in the right direction.

She all but runs to the bedroom, her feet moving hastily as she doesn't want to be delayed. Neither does Draco it seems as he is right on her heel.

The door slams shut with a loud thud as Draco pushes her back into it, his mouth already on her neck. Her hands fly up to grab his shoulders, her back arching at the feeling of his teeth that graze her skin. He nips at the spot lightly before circling a hot tongue around it, sucking harder when she lets out a strangled noise.

His breath is warm and his mouth hot as it travels its way up quickly from her neck, to her jawline, and back to her open mouth. She flicks the tip of his tongue with her own, winding hers against his before his tongue is following hers back into her mouth. Both of their tongues lashing out before she sucks on his, feeling the hum of his moan inside her mouth.

She almost has to fight the urge to smile, but it is quickly wiped from her mind as he leans fully into her letting her feel his stiffness on her stomach. Her insides twist as she can feel the dampness begin to form between her legs. She is very turned on by his need.

Her hips thrust upwards, desperate to feel him where she wants him most which causes her to moan at the sensation. He removes his lips from hers, looking down at her with an arched eyebrow. His face is flushed, and his eyes are dark with want. She uses this as an opportunity to push him backward towards the bed.

Their movements are a bit awkward and jagged as they work together to remove his clothing while moving towards the bed, trying to not keep their lips apart for long. Hermione pushes his coat off his shoulders and down his arms before her hands are working fast at his buttons while he tries to unzip the back of her dress.

He already managed to get out of his shoes and shirt by the time she manages to take her heels off. The damn straps take longer than she had hoped.

She notices that he is sitting on the edge of her bed, his pants still on as he watches her with dark, hungry eyes. It makes her feel powerful over him.

A small smirk plays on her lips as she takes the dress off one strap at a time, going painstakingly slow as she notices his hands grabbing onto her comforter, his knuckles white from how hard his grip is. She toys with him, taking her time to push the rest of her dress down her legs, letting it fall into a pool around her.

She silently thanks the heavens for wearing a matching set of undergarments as Draco seems to like them. His eyes travel down her slender frame as his jaw clenches like he's trying to restrain himself from pouncing on her.

She gradually makes her way over to him; liking the slowed down pace, wanting to take her time instead of rushing. She stops moving once she stands between his open legs.

His hands come up to touch the sides of her thighs gently before ghosting their way up, finally settling on her hips. His eyes flickering to her breast as she reaches behind herself to unhook her bra. She stretches out her arm, letting it drop before bringing her hands to his hair.

She runs both of her hands through the silk-like texture, lightly dragging her nails across his scalp before she grabs at the back of his neck. His eyes flickering, a little overwhelmed at the feeling. When he opens them, they're dark; his pupils dilated as he watches her intently. He takes his time looking her over before he licks his lips in anticipation.

"Merlin's beard, you have no idea how long I've waited for this," he breathes out, bringing his eyes back up to stare into hers as he leans forward.

Her heart skips a beat as his eyes are waverer from hers, a deep blush creeping up her neck at his words. But her attention is brought back to him as she feels his lips ghost over her skin.

He softly kisses her just below her belly button before making his way downwards, leaving behind a trail of goosebumps in it's wake. Her breath catches in her throat as his tongue comes darting out to run it right along the line of her hip bone before kissing hard; it makes her grip on his hair tighten.

This isn't exactly how she pictured this to go down in that dream she had of him weeks ago after their argument. She had dreamed it to be rash and rough, mostly teeth and scratches, but the light touches and slower pace is so much better than what she could have ever imagined.

She feels his hands snake back around to give her ass a firm squeeze before they hold onto her lower back. Then all of the sudden he is pulling her inwards before flipping her onto her back. The bed and them all bouncing from the impact, which causes laughter to bubble out of her chest.

"Sorry," he chuckles from on top of her, his silver hair falling into his eyes. They sit there for a moment in silence, his eyes on hers as the only sounds filling the room are from their ragged breathing.

He lifts his hand up to lightly run the pad of his index finger across her lips tracing them. When he gets to her bottom lip she grabs his hand, placing her mouth on the inside of his open palm in a light kiss.

His eyes search hers at the intimate gesture while hers gaze back. A small smile spreads across his face before he leans down to give her a slow, sensual kiss. His tongue playing with her bottom lip before fully entering her mouth. Her hands grasp at his back, liking the feeling of his muscles under her the palm of her while they flex under her touch while kissing him back.

His hand makes its way down her chest, stopping right as he reaches her breast so he can cup it in his palm. Her toes curl inwards at the feeling of his thumb as it swipes around her hardened nipple. He gives it a light pinch when he feels her moan in the inside of his mouth.

His lips leave hers, making her pout at their loss. He smiles against her skin as his head finds its way to her other breast, his pants of breath tickling her nipple before he takes it into his wet mouth. His tongue is hot as he flicks it across her nipple before he laves at it.

Hermione never knew Draco would be the type to like so much foreplay, but she smiles to herself as she thinks she'll have to keep that in mind for next time.

Her breathing picks up with her heartbeat as she realizes she wants there to be a next time. She hadn't really thought about it before now, but as he begins to lick and suck her nipple harder, she knows exactly why she wants there to be a next time.

She is pulled from her thoughts as his hand leaves her breast to drag downwards. He lifts his head up from her nipple, stretching up to give a small kiss to her shoulder as he spreads her legs apart. His knuckles tickling the inside of her thighs as he makes his way to her entrance. She's already wet as he swipes his thumb over the silk material of her knickers making her suck in a quick breath through her teeth. He stops moving his hand, it hovering as he silently questions her with his eyes to which she gives him a nod of encouragement, not trusting her voice.

He slides his hands inside her knickers before he slips a finger into her. She moans into his mouth as he goes back to kissing her.

She grasps his shoulder, one set of nails digging into his back while the other scratches at the nape of his neck. He starts to move his finger around in an unrecognizable pattern. Her hips moving upwards every time he swipes at her clit.

A deep ache starts to make its way into her, spreading from her legs across her entire body.

He slowly adds another finger into her, curling them while thrusting them inside her. She pulls her mouth away from his as strangled noise comes out the back of her throat, but he continues to pump his fingers in her as he places sloppy kisses where his head is buried in her shoulder.

She can feel him hard on her side as his hips start to move up against her for any sort of friction. That's when she realizes he still had his pants on, his bulge straining against the unwanted material feeling a bit harsh and itchy on her soft skin.

"Draco, I need-" she bites her lip to keep herself from whimpering the rest of the sentence, making him smirk against her shoulder.

While she had been enjoying the slower pace earlier, her body is not any longer. It feels like it is on fire from his touch. She needs him.

A huff of breath leaves her as he removes his hand from her legs. Her hands desperately reach down to undo his belt as quickly as she can manage. He helps her shove his pants and underwear down, his erection springing free as he kicks them off his legs.

He climbs back on top of her, a low hiss slipping past his lips when she grabs the length of him. She only gives him a few strokes, being too impatient to take her time with him like she would have truly wanted. But right now, her heart is beating too fast from the aching that is deep inside of her, begging to be undone.

She lifts her legs up as he helps her out of her knickers before he guides him to the center of her, waiting for her nod of approval like earlier which she gives eagerly.

Hermione lets out a shaky breath to his moan when he finally sinks into her. His mouth hot on hers as he fills her up before almost pulling all the way out then carefully sinking back into her again. Both their breathing picking up as he starts to rock against her, increasing his speed when it starts to become too unbearably slow.

Her fingers claw at his back, her nails digging into him overwhelmed by the feeling of him moving in her.

She moves her hips with him trying to keep up with his rhythm while he uses his grip on her hips to lift her up a bit so he can go deeper. It causes him to moan out again, her hips bucking out at the sound sending a jolt straight to her womb.

Her breathing becomes more erratic as her breast are smacking slightly up against his bare chest as he quickens his pace. Both of them a heap of grunts and moans as he continues to thrust into her.

He removes his lips from hers, too far gone to concentrate on her lips or breathe properly. His forehead is sweaty on hers as he uses it to rest his head on, his eyes on hers. His muscles go taunt under her tight grip and she can feel his body start to lose control.

His eyes squeeze shut as his hips buck up, his movements become quick and out of his control. Then he's rasping out her name, over and over again as his orgasm echoes throughout the room.

The last few desperate thrusts of her hips and him crying out her name are enough to make Hermione break. Sending her over the edge right after him, with her back arching as she groans out his name. A little shocked at how deep her own voice sounds.

His breathing is loud in her ear as he almost collapses completely on top of her, barely holding himself up with his elbow at her side. His eyes are back open as he observes her.

She brings her hand up to his face, brushing the back of her fingers along his jawline before resting her open palm on his cheek.

Now it's his turn to turn his head and kiss the inside of her hand before he pulls out of her and collapses onto his back besides her.

They sit together in comfortable silence while they both try to steady their rapid heartbeats and heavy breathing. That's when it hits her.

Hermione sits up abruptly, turning her body towards him to prop her head up on her elbow. "You didn't make a mistake, you purposely didn't sign those papers, didn't you?"

He turns his head towards her, still resting on the pillow as he slowly raises his eyebrow at her before laughing. "You just figured that out, now, of all the times? Not even a good shag can turn off that big brain of yours can it, Granger?"

She flushes, a bit embarrassed at the truth behind his words.

"That's alright; I like a good challenge," Draco smirks as he sits up to level with her.

If she hadn't already been flushed from his earlier remark she would be blushing again as he comes to claim her lips.

She barely has time to kiss him back before he's pulling away, which she hums in disapproval.

"Not tonight though, love," Draco chuckles, laying back down onto the bed. "I promise, we'll have plenty of time for that later."

Hermione smiles to herself as she lays down with him. Her head rests on his shoulder while she snakes her hand up his chest, feeling the light thudding of his heart.

And for the second time that night she is certain she feels his heart skip a beat when she tells him she's going to hold him to that promise.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed it! P.S. Reviews/Kudos are appreciated!


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